From Grandma's Kitchen

...with Love.

That's the title of this book that my daughter gave me for Christmas this year. She is a particularly gifted gift-giver, that one!

Jess knows that I love family...and food...making and sharing memories, often combining both. These last few years, she has come into her own in the kitchen, and she's started asking me to share some of our family's favorite recipes. She also knows that I love to write, so giving me a place to write down and share recipes and memories was a slam dunk, for sure. So much so that up until today, I hadn't figured out which of my treasured recipes would have the honor of the first page.

I'm not sure Delicious Scones are one of her favorites, but they sure are one of mine. They are also really easy to recreate, and it makes sense that the first recipe in the book should be a success, so scones it is!

While I don't remember where I originally found this recipe online, the name of the recipe was "Delicious Scones," just like I wrote on that recipe card...and they are! Sooooo delicious...especially with a little fruit or butter, a glaze or some clotted cream...you just can't really go wrong with them!

I've made these biscuit-like treats for parties, for holidays and for gatherings at church, and they are always a hit! Today's are plain, but I've added orange and cranberries, lemon and blueberries, apples and cinnamon and even strawberry jam to this recipe through the years. Sometimes I take out the sugar and add shredded cheese and garlic for a savory treat! So, after enjoying scones and strawberries for breakfast, I put this one in the book, and I hope that she gives it a try for her family! 

What will go in the book next? Will it be the dinner rolls? Easter bread? Christmas caramel? Something else? I don't know yet, but I do know that I will keep this book close to the kitchen while I cook this year. 

Where do you keep your treasured, family recipes? Have you shared them with your kids yet? If not, I hope you have plans to share them in some way! Some of my favorites are for foods that have been enjoyed for generations, and I love knowing that they will remain, even when I an eventually, inevitably gone.

So will the knitting, so I'm gonna sign out now to work on another baby blanket for the next member of the next generation! That's right, this good gift-giver is growing another grandchild for Pop Pop and Pretty, and we could not be more thrilled!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit (and share your recipes) in Good Health!

Busy as Bees!

It's a little chilly outside for bees, but we have been as busy as those little buzzers around the Pretty House! Today we have the boys, and we have played, created a mini obstacle course and made pizza! 

We slapped the crust, spread the sauce and sprinkled the cheese before we put it in to bake, and it came out super yummy, and our tummies are so full that it's hard to keep our eyes open! 

This is good, because naptime gives me a moment to write! Even the cat has come out for quiet time!

 

My needles have been busy as bees all week, too! I've finished some rainbow socks 

but the wearer prefers his anonymity...

...and there was also a hat that flew right off the needles in two days, and it is anxious to get to its new owner! 

Now, I'm working on socks for my younger granddaughter, who requested "path-tel colors, please!" These will fit the bill,  and they should go quick! 

It's been so busy around here that there's no January sweater on the needles for me yet...lol! Perhaps I'll knit a February sweater this year.

How are your resolutions coming along,  if you've made any? I typically don't make any, so I'll stick to the status quo and just keep knitting!

It's good to take a break to blog though,  and I'm glad to see that you've popped in! Now that you've finished reading, I hope the rest of your weekend will be lovely. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health! 

Knit Together

Well, friends, I have started this blog-year pretty slowly. I've been a little sick since New Year's Eve, so I've taken everything a little slower, and I'm keeping to myself a little more than usual. But, rest assured that I am still knitting!

I've recently finished a baby blanket for a friend's foster child, and it's a pattern that I've wanted to try for some time: 10 Stitch Blanket I'm pretty sure most people use a lighter yarn for this pattern, but I needed this one done quick! I used two wheels of Lion Brand Mandela. 

Overall, I really like how it turned out! The thing I love the most is how each piece of the blanket looks the same and a little different. That's the beauty of this one, designed for variegated and gradient yarns, knit all together in one piece! This is my favorite corner:

I'll never be able to recreate this blanket, it is unique, just like each little angel that I've ever knit for. It has been made on purpose and with a plan, the same as every person I've ever known, I hope it serves as a reminder of God's love for this little one as he grows.

What kinds of things remind you of God's love? Even though the world we live in can be unpredictable, harsh and difficult, God's love is constant, fierce and perfect...and there are beautiful reminders all around us. Keep your eyes, ears and heart open, and let me know where you find it.

Until next time, I'll be over here on my sofa, recovering and knitting amd taking things slow. 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

From Psalm 139:13-14

For you created my inmost being;

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

Choose Happy (when you can...)

Because you can't always Choose Happy. 

Sometimes happy is not in the picture for a bit, and that's ok. Sometimes you don't get a choice, and the emotion of the day is sad...or angry...or anxious...or whatever. It's ok. Let yourself feel it. Rather than slapping on a smile and pretending, give yourself some time to do what you need to do to get through it.

What?!? Is that what YOU always do, Pretty?

Well, first of all, that was a fairly accusatory tone. Secondly, ouch. No. That is not what I always do. I'd sure like to do that more often...but I am far from perfect, and I know it.

Pretty is queen of slapping on a happy face and pretending that all is well in the Pretty World. It is a coping mechanism, as much as any other. I can fake it 'till I make it to happy, right? Sometimes, but not always...and that's not the healthiest way to approach those icky emoticons. 

What I should do instead (at least according to just about everything I've read about emotional health) is 1. acknowledge what I feel, 2. allow myself to feel it, and then 3. figure out how to move forward, even though it feels really bad sometimes. 

Sometimes moving forward means slapping on a happy face and just doing the next right thing...but sometimes it means taking a nap, or a break (preferably with a cup of tea and some knitting).

A shawl I have recently knit.

Sometimes moving forward means having an occasionally difficult conversation, or an easy talk, with a friend or family member. 

Sometimes moving forward means having an ugly cry. 

Most of the time, for me anyway, moving forward means finding a way to get outside myself and do something for someone else...perhaps even for the person who is at the center of whatever emotional outburst I happen to be in the middle of. 

During 2021, I had lots of opportunities to do this well. During 2021, I did not always take those opportunities. I will try to do better in 2022.

Will you join me? I can teach you to knit along the way, you know, if you're into that kind of thing. If not, I can just stand with you as we do our best to Choose Happy...when we can. 

Thanks for stopping by. Knit in Good Health, and Happy New Year!